The Perfect, Deadly Family
by nyreelex
Summary: A supposed "family" derived of unfeeling killers is hot on the trail of the Titans during their stay in a motel stuck in the middle of nowhere. When they finally catch up with each other, no one will come out unscathed; least of all, their leader Dick Grayson. My take on the events between the Nuclear family and the soon-to-be Teen Titans. Based off 1x05. Dick injured!
1. Chapter 1

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own Titans or any related material. Started Titans and LOVED IT! My take on what happens when the gang is staying at the motel and the supposed "family" sent by Dr. Adamson shows up with murderous intentions. Please review!**

Dick sighed after he closed the door on this cheap motel's owner. It was what one would call an awkward situation as she flashed a seductive smiled towards the young detective in hopes of a very different evening than what he was intending for. No time to focus on the encounter, however, as Dick needed to concentrate on the task at hand. A psychotic family was after him and the others. Sent to kill. Before retiring for the night, although it was already nearing 2 o'clock in the morning, Dick wanted to sweep the perimeter, sharpen his blades, check in on Kory and the kids-

An anonymous cry in shock and thud outside his door made Dick tense. Only a moment ago, the motel owner was outside his door, loosely cradling a bucket of ice cooling a liquor store quality bottle of champagne. Now, as he glanced into the hallway, the ice was beginning to melt onto the dirty floor, no woman in sight, and the lights blew out.

Out of nowhere, something hard struck his face followed by a harsh kick in the gut, sending Dick flying backwards. He landed roughly on his hotel room floor, but his years of training kicked in. Two figures, his attackers, stepped into his hotel room, clad with a hammer and a power drill. Dick didn't give them a chance to use their sadistic weapons of choice as he sprung into action, two against one. The walls shook with the ensuing match up, Dick glancing towards the briefcase holding his Robin suit. These assassins were not human, not anymore. No punch was too hard, no hit was too striking. They were bred to kill and none of Dick's gradually tiring efforts could affect them, at least not without a few tricks of his own. If he could get to his Robin suit, he could have a chance against the perfect looking couple. He could save the rest of his friends from the remaining two inhuman killers.

…

Rachel could feel the walls rattling in the dead of night, she dismissed any concerns to Gar celebrating leveling up in his game or Kory practicing some hand-to-hand combat. She was beginning to get to know her newfound friends more and more, for the first time in quite some time, Rachel felt she had some semblance of a family. Out of all, she felt the closest bond to Detective Dick Grayson. He started off as the orphaned protagonist in her circus freak show of a nightmare. Then, her mother was shot and the next thing she knew Detective Grayson was the only one who truly cared for her, understood her. He didn't run away from her dark powers, but rather towards her. He wanted to help her. He wouldn't leave her, not like everybody else.

A loud thud caused Rachel to gasp and sit up on the creaky bed. She rolled her eyes and gave an evil look to the wall adjacent of her.

"Gar!" she shouted, annoyed, as she banged the cracking wall a few times to get the shapeshifter's attention, "Keep it down over there! I don't care if you broke a new high score, it's 2:30 in the morning!"

A knock on her door caused Rachel to groan, she trudged to the entranceway and was surprised to see her next door neighbor, Gar.

His eyes were wide, as if he was a bit guarded, "Hey, sorry to bother you this late, Rachel."

"Gar," she addressed back, now curious, "What's up? You beat level 15 in your game?"

Gar nervously chuckled as he glanced towards the GameBoy in his hand, "No," he responded, "I was wondering if you heard anything at all? Like loud crashes and thuds? I may just be imagining it but-"

Rachel cut him off, "Wait, that wasn't you?"

"Me? No, I thought it was maybe you," he responded, confused.

Rachel switched to the defensive. Hell, they had people sent to kill them, there was no room to be careless. She grabbed Gar's arm, "Let's get Dick and Kory."

…

Kory studied her hand as it drew an orange flame on her command. _How could she do this? Was she human? Who was she? Why couldn't she remember anything?_ These series of questions had been swirling in her mind constantly for days now.

She extinguished the flame and sighed. So many questions, too little answers. At the moment, however, she could make do with the tequila she dredged up from the liquor store across the street. Grabbing a glass, she reached for the bottle when a grunt and hard thud from the neighboring wall made her jump to her feet. She cautiously made her way to door and into the hallway. Everything seemed normal to her, but she was anything if not thorough. Kory glanced in the direction of Dick's room, nothing unusual it seemed like. She made her way towards Gar and Rachel's rooms, wanting to be there should the younger members of their team need any help, a.k.a. a fighting force.

Kory knocked on Rachel's door. Things were quiet, too quiet for her liking. No answer on Rachel's door.

"Rachel?," Kory called, but still no reply. _That's it_ , she thought.

Kory kicked the door down in one fluid movement, not believing the sight she laid her eyes upon.

Rachel and Gar were bound and tied to the bed posts, the pair trying to scream in warning through the rags that were obscuring their mouths.

Before Kory had time to react, two normal looking kids stepped out of the shadows, makeshift weapons in their hands and malicious smiles adorned on to their faces.

Kory erupted, as the pair advanced she retaliated with a whirlwind. She threw flames in one direction and punches in another, but the smiling teenagers pressed on. The moonlight did nothing to replenish her waning powers; Kory's fires grew weaker and the kids' punches felt stronger. No matter how hard she fought back, the murderous children were not phased by her onslaught. They only grew stronger, it seemed. She could hear Rachel shout through her binds as Kory fell to her knees. The killers stepped over, coming in and out of her blurry vision. The hilt of one of their weapons was quickly approaching the top of her head. _Could this be the end?_ she thought, dazed. The next thing encompassing her mind was darkness.


	2. Chapter 2

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own Titans or any related material. Here's the next chapter, folks! Enjoy and please review!**

What felt like many hours was only a few minutes in Dick's world, at the moment. He and his attackers were engaged in a deadly tete-a-tete, the loser spending the rest of their life with the grim reaper unfortunately. He had to win, he had to beat them. The other two assassins, this whacked up family's "kids," we're still out there wanting to hurt his friends. Gar. Kory. Rachel. Dick had to protect them.

With newfound strength, he pushed back against the ensuing onslaught from the 'Mother' and 'Father' of the psychotic family. Finally gaining some ground, he incapacitated the pair and darted towards the door to warn his friends. He could feel Mom and Dad hot on his trail, but he barged into Rachel's room shouting, "Rachel! Gar! Quick! We have to get out of-"

Dick stopped mid sentence, he could not believe what lay before him. His friends, Kory, Gar and Rachel, were tied up and gagged. They all looked at him with frantic eyes, pulling at their binds. Dick was frozen in shock for not even half of a second, but that's all the time it took for 'Son' to rip from the shadows. Dick reacted instantly, his instincts honed from his time spent as Robin. Grappling with the boy, Dick was unaware of the second kid, 'Daughter,' stealthily make her way from behind. Dick saw her at the last second, only to be met with a nice knock from the butt end of a hammer to his skull.

All Dick could comprehend as his limp body collided with the floor was the sound of Rachel screaming his name.

…

Gar could not fathom the events unfolding before him. Dick, his friend, although they hadn't known each other for long, was a heap on the floor as blood from his newfound head wound slowly trickled onto the shag carpet. The evil, killer kids who stood over Dick with glee, were soon joined by their sadistic parents. Rachel screamed Dick's name in warning as the teenage pair advanced towards, but too little too late as Daughter knocked him out with a calculated blow to the head.

Gar was experienced in fighting techniques and mechanics from his time spent in war before he contracted the rare sickness that marked the next, shapeshifting chapter in his life. Daughter hit Dick hard enough to hurt, even subdue, but not enough to cause any serious, life-threatening injuries. Which only meant one thing, they wanted to make their deaths slow and painful.

He tensed against his restraints, but it was no use. This family of killers was smarter than they intended as they had administered some sort of powerful drug that left Rachel, Kory and Gar powerless. Numbness replaced the electricity of his powers that Gar was usually accustomed to. All three of them were useless to help Dick as he looked a bit scathed with cuts and bruises from what was most likely a previous altercation with their captors.

Kory, Gar and Rachel had no abilities at their aid and were forced to watch their friend's body slowly crumple to the floor in his unconscious state.

…

White hot pain encompassed Dick as he forced his heavy eyelids to open a sliver. His surroundings were blurry, his memory foggy. _Where was he? What happened?_ Last thing Dick could remember was an ice bucket and the disappointed expression of the motel owner when he said good night.

Then it all came flooding back to him. Two assassins. Running to the room next door. Rachel, Kory and Gar tied up. Then blackness.

His brain rebelled and a stabbing headache caused Dick to groan as he recollected upon the fact he had been smacked in the head with a very painful object. He could feel dried blood caking the side of his head, but his wound still throbbed incessantly in a whirlwind of pain.

He tried reaching for his head, but his hands were not compliant. He tried a bit harder, concentrating more, but his hands would not budge. Dick felt something cold cut into his wrists. _Handcuffs_ , he deduced.

"Well, well, well" a cold voice broke into his daze like an icy dagger, "Sleeping beauty finally arises."

Dick struggled to open his eyes halfway to see Mother smiling evil at him.

"Aww," she cooed, unfeeling, "Are you feeling okay, sweetie?"

Something was quickly jabbed into Dick's side which called him to cry out. His mind was moving slowly, like it was sludge, but Dick realized it was a long rod that Son had struck him with.

"Kiddo, let's not be hasty now," Father chastised his fake son in an eerie cheerfulness, then turned back to Dick, "Where are my manners. Let's get you acquainted, shall we?"

Dick didn't respond, he couldn't. He was weak, tied up and in a massive amount of discomfort. He wouldn't be surprised if the area that Son jabbed him in would be bruising in a bit. His head was reeling, but all he could do was worry about his friends. He had not seen them yet, but then again much of his world was dark and cloudy at the moment.

All Dick could make out from his surroundings was that they were in a pretty large, quiet space that had limited lighting. This meant they were isolated; smart if one wanted to be left alone, away from the public's eye.

"Let's introduce you to the rest of the guests," Mother walked to Dick's left.

Dick could hear some shuffling and muffled noises before Kory, Gar and Rachel swam into his view. He relaxed in relief that they all looked relatively unhurt and unscathed, but still tied up as he was.

"Dick!" he heard Rachel cry upon seeing him. All of his friends were in a state of shock when they laid their eyes on the heap that was their friend Dick.

He lifted his head and squinted in her direction, his vision swaying. He must have a nasty concussion by the severe symptoms he was experiencing.

"You animals!" Kory tugged at her binds, spitting towards the family of killers,"Stop hurting him!"

Gar looked ready to pounce, growling at Son and Daughter.

Father replied, "That's where you are mistaken, Kory Anders. The hurting has only just begun."

Father's head snapped in Dick's direction, a malicious glint painted in his eyes.


	3. Chapter 3

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own Titans or any related material. Here is the next chapter! Chapter 4 will not be in Dick's favor, so stay tuned! Please enjoy and review!**

Rachel could not stop looking Dick up and down. Her friend, semi-conscious and cuffed, looked as if he couldn't fully comprehend his surroundings. _The hammer to the head must have really done a number_ , she thought. She had never seen him like this.

For the first time thus far, Rachel begged her powers to the surface. She wanted to embrace the darkness that lurked deep within her and unleash her fury onto this cold and robotic "family."

But, most of all, Rachel felt guilty. It was because of her that these people were after them. It was because of her that her friends rushed to protect her at the first hint of trouble. It was because of her that they were tied up, powerless. It was because of her that Dick had to endure this abuse.

None could miss the evil shine in Father's eyes when he looked at Dick, like a predator hunting its newfound prey. Dick could probably take them on, judging by the dried blood caking recent cuts and bruises it seems he did, but not in the shape he was in. She had to do something to save her and her friends, but what?

All she was forced to do now was watch and wait.

…

Dick wasn't a fan of violence, especially when he was at the receiving end of said violence. So when Father basically announced the horrendous torture that was sure to come his way, Dick was not super crazy about it.

His years of training and fighting crime kicked in and he calculated his chances and present situation. There were four of them and only one of him, he certainly wouldn't last too long with a concussion and injuries that deemed themselves pretty critical. His friends were tied and, for some reason, couldn't use their abilities. Dick double checked his binds, what he put together were handcuffs, and smirked to himself. _Handcuffs, perfect._ This family didn't realize he was a detective in a major city and, most importantly, trained by Batman himself.

His mind was fuzzier and moving slower than usual, but Dick was able to formulate his plan. He had one advantage on his side: the fact that this family thought he was pretty much incapacitated by his previous blow to the head. He put his plan into motion.

…

Kory was dreaming about all the ways she would enact her revenge on Father, Mother and their deadly children. Although she only had memory of the least few weeks, her powers were amongst all the most beloved to her, even though she had yet to understand them. So being without them was not the ideal situation, especially with Dick injured before her. She could feel Gar tensing ever so often, desperately trying to shape shift but with no luck either.

Dick suddenly slumped forward, his bleeding head dropping to the floor. He groaned slightly, his weakening state catching the attention of their captors as they emerged from the shadows of the dark room. They approached him and Mother reluctantly tapped Dick roughly with her shoe, he moaned again in response.

"You still with us, Robert?" Father asked, bending down by the prone Dick.

"Come on, sweetie," Mother knelt by her "husband" "Up you go."

She reached over to straighten up their victim, when suddenly his closed eyes flew open and he shot his head up, colliding with Mother's nose. She reeled back in shock and fury, clutching her bleeding nose. Father reacted, but Dick did as well. She dodged away from Father's hard punch where Dick's chest was not a moment before. Dick rose to his feet, hands still cuffed.

Kory was in utter shock, but in the most pleasant way possible. Dick must have been one of the strongest people she had ever met (albeit her only knowing a handful since her memory was a bit foggy at the moment).

Gar cheered Dick on, Rachel and Kory soon joining in. With his hands tied, Dick dove and dodged Mother and Father's advances, even getting a few kicks in of his own. His form was perfect, his moves were fluid and his intentions deadly. He round-house kicked Mom to the floor and threw Father into a headlock, his cuffs cutting off Father's airway. He pulled his wrists extremely hard against the metal wrapped around Father's trachea, cutting his wrists where the metal dug in, until his handcuffs snapped.

Kory was in awe of Dick's planning and execution, he must have thought this all through. The slumping down, catching Mother and Father off guard, the breaking of the handcuffs. They were all mesmerized by his fighting. Now with all his limbs at his advantage, this fight didn't seem so one-sided. Dick countered each blow by his attackers, fueled by the drive to free his friends and get the hell away from this crazy family.

"Dick! Behind you!"

A warning from one of his friends saved Dick from a hard hit by Son that ended up hitting Father instead as Dick side-swiped. These people, unfortunately, were not easily hurt. Actually, Dick didn't think they could feel pain.

He was constantly occupied as Daughter now joined the fight. Four deadly killers against an equally enraged Robin. But, his injuries were catching up with him and four robots constantly going in for the kill was taking its toll. Sweat dripped down the side of his face, evidence of Dick's exertion.

Kory recognized this and willed her flames, hell, even a spark, to burn through her binds and help her friend. But, nothing. She shouted in frustration as she watched Daughter land a rough-looking hit to Dick's side. He swayed, but continued on, although slowing down.

Rachel and Gar, too, tried anything to contribute to Dick's effort, but their outcome was as bleak as Kory's. All they could do was redden their wrists even more as they pulled against the ropes tying their hands to their posts.

Out of no where, a shiny, metal object appeared in Father's hand, Dick was unaware of this as he battled off Mom, Son and Daughter simultaneously. He was doing a hell of a good job so far, especially with his previous injuries. Their captors didn't seem affected at all by the ensuing fight. Dick was slipping, which is when Father leaped at the chance to use the blade concealed in his hand against Dick. Mother kicked Dick's feet out from under him while Son and Daughter grabbed his arms. Dick was panting with the efforts and many of his wounds reopened.

With perfect form, Father raised his hand quickly and dug the blade right into Dick's right shoulder mercilessly.

"Dick!" Rachel screamed, "No!"

Gar was frozen in shock and Kory practically broke her wrists in her rage.

Dick's eyes were wide open and he cried out in pain. He relaxed against his captors' hold as he stared at the long blade embedded in the front of his shoulder, blood now dripping down.

His attackers stood over him, smiling maniacally as they admired Father's handiwork.

Dick dropped to his knees, weak and exhausted. His head was on fire, but nothing compared to the inferno that now took hold of his right shoulder.

Dick looked over at the horrified expressions of his friends as his vision was ebbing out to white. He was going into shock, surely, yet all he could feel was guilt. He failed his friends.

"I'm sorry," he barely managed, as he turned in on himself due to the pain, his shoulder burning.

'Now," Father approached Dick with his family in tow as he wiped his bloody hands on a white rag, "Let's get started."

….


	4. Chapter 4

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own Titans or any related material. Here's the next chapter! Thanks for the reviews, keep em coming please!**

Gar couldn't look anymore. He turned away from the muffled grunts of pain as Dick took hit after hit from this sadistic family. All four of his limbs were tied to a bedpost, their captors now grasping how dangerous Dick was if he wasn't completely incapacitated after the last incident. He was gagged and blood matted one side of his head, the wound from earlier when the hammer came in contact with his head.

He couldn't say exactly, but Gar calculated that it had been about half a day of torture for Dick as he, Rachel and Kory could only watch in disgust and anguish. Yet, miraculously, Dick took every semblance of pain with his head held high and expression tight. What was the most worrisome, however, was the ghastly looking knife sticking out of Dick's left shoulder. It still trickled blood and this family was cruel enough to leave the piece of metal where it was.

There was a rag sloppily wrapped around the area where the knife met skin, but it was thoroughly streaked red at this point. Each member of the family took turns having a go at Dick. Daughter demonstrated her advanced martial art skills, Mother her tai-chi, Brother preferred getting creative with a bristly bamboo rod and Father bringing it home with good, old-fashioned punches.

So, one could easily say that Dick was not in the best of shape. In fact, far from it. His body was dotted with fiery, red spots where he had taken several beatings. Gar couldn't imagine the damage that lay unseen under his clothes. Dick's face had notably paled as his blood loss increased.

 _If we could just stabilize that shoulder_ …Gar thought, even though there was nothing he could do to help his friend. They all still remained bound and powerless.

He tugged at his binds for the thousandth time in anger and frustration. No luck, as expected.

 _Damn it! If only we could do something! Anything!_ Gar just continued working at his binds till his wrists rubbed red.

Kory could sense Gar's fury, she herself was past the point of enraged and flicked murderous glares towards Dick's attackers. Dick's head lolled on his shoulder now that the family had taken a bit of break from beating him to a pulp, thankfully.

Gar looked towards Rachel who alternated between glancing towards Dick in sadness and looking down at the floor. _She blames herself, even though she did nothing wrong,_ Gar thought.

 _…._

Gar was correct in his thinking that Rachel blamed herself for the pain and suffering Dick was enduring. Dick held it together until the last few hours when his body had taken much more than it could handle, slipping into a semi-conscious state. Them all being worried was putting it lightly, the rest of the Titans were still gravely concerned about the red-soaked towel at Dick's shoulder and the grimy knife still protruding from it.

It was because of her that this psychotic family was after them. It was because of her that Kory and Gar were captured. It was because of her that Dick lay before her, in pain and bleeding out. It was because of her own inability to understand her powers that Rachel couldn't save her friends from the mess she put them in.

"What do you want with us?" Rachel shouted to the dark corners of the obscure room that she knew their attackers were lurking, "Why are you doing this?"

Gar looked at her in sympathy, Dick perked up a bit at the noise but nothing more in his daze.

Rachel was inwardly shocked she received a response a few moments later. Mother emerged from the shadows, her long skirt and hair still perfect despite her hours spent hurting the Boy Wonder.

"Because, my dear, this is what we're made for," Mother smiled evilly at Rachel.

Father followed seconds behind his "wife" and put a hand to her shoulder, "Now, honey, that's enough chatting with our guests. Our mission is confidential."

"Of course, dear," Mother responded curtly, smile gone. The two disappeared once more.

…

Rachel woke up to the sound of a hard smack. _How could I have dozed off?_ she thought. Time was difficult to track in the warehouse they were being kept in.

A painful grunt pulled her back to reality and she realized, in horror, the smack was the sound of Father's fist hitting Dick's abdomen. Dick tried taking the hit as he had been trained to, but his shoulder and other injuries had already weakened him and he couldn't help curling in on himself.

"Let him go!" Rachel yelled at Father viciously, "Stop hurting him!"

Father paused his assault after launching one more shiner into Dick's already bruised cheek, blood flowing freely from Dick's mouth.

"Or what, Rachel Roth?" Father turned towards Rachel calmly, red staining his knuckles.

Rachel seized this opportunity to somehow reason with this family now that she had Father's attention. Even if it was so much as to give Dick some reprieve from the incessant attacks.

"Let's just talk, please" Rachel pleaded, "I'm sure we can help with whatever you need, just please stop hurting my friend."

Father didn't say anything, but Kory did.

"What do you want? Money? Name your price," Kory offered, desperately.

Father only smiled.

"This has nothing to do with trivial things, like currency or such," he explained in the same monotone voice, "but with your Father, Ms. Roth. We are in his service."

"My father…" Rachel stammered, "Okay, but what does that have to do with us? Why have you captured my friends when I'm the one you want?"

A cynical smile toyed at Father's lips, "Motivation, perhaps. I'll admit, the fate of your companions was never specified, in which case we got…creative."

Rachel almost choked before yelling in a desperation to save the others, "Take me! Please, stop! Take me instead!"

A croaking voice sounded behind Father, breaking Rachel's pleas.

"Stop…don't…." Dick told Rachel in a weak voice. His glassy eyes met hers in a silent plea and reassurance.

Tears filled in Rachel's eyes; he looked terrible. Dick had grown several shades whiter as the hours passed and bruises began to formulate across his body. His cuts looked raw, but nothing as severe as the knife still embedded in Dick's shoulder. His lips were red from punches to the jaw and the rings under his eyes were darkening by the minute. But, he still seemed to be the most composed person in the room, comforting Rachel as she fought the many emotions waiting to release. Rachel couldn't believe it, she didn't deserve such loyal friends. Dick was being physically beaten for her protection. Kory would have already easily disposed of every last member of this twisted family if she had the chance. Gar would frequently whisper words of encouragement in her ear, loud enough only for Rachel to hear. All of their sacrifices on her behalf.

"Dick," she whimpered, "please."

"Nice of you to join us, sport!" Father cut in and turned on Dick, a mad glint in his eye.

Dick chuckled weakly, teeth stained red and eyes half-closed, "It's okay, guys, my grandma's right hook is better than this prick's."

 _Did Dick just throw shade?_ Rachel was in disbelief.

Father must not have found it as funny as the smile disappeared from his lips and he pulled up his sleeves in barely-contained fury.

Rachel looked away, only inferring what was to follow. Then she heard a shout of surprise, but it wasn't from Dick.

With unforeseen strength, Dick reared his neck back and head-smacked Father so hard his nose dislocated. Kory and Gar shouted in approval as Father lapsed his facade if only for a second.

It was red under Father's fingertips, but he robotically clicked his nose back into place.

 _What are these people?_ Rachel thought in horror.

Dick only smiled as slowly the rest of the family joined Father, all her and her friends could do was watch as Dick endured even more abuse. Rachel looked towards the floor once more, tears threatening to spill. Through their fury of fighting, Kory urgently whispered towards the younger members of their party.

"Listen!" Kory hissed, "I've got a plan."

Kory's eyes darted towards her tied wrists-except they weren't tied. The ropes binding Kory to the post were sizzling and blackened, as if they were burned. Her hand still glowed orange.

Gar and Rachel looked at Kory in shock and surprise. Kory had her powers back. They could finally escape.

….


	5. Chapter 5

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own Titans or any related material. Hope you all are enjoying the story so far. So thankful for the reviews and all the compliments! Keep it up!**

Kory would have leapt at the chance to switch on her fire and burn this sadistic family until dawn approached, yet she had to channel her waning patience and wait for the right moment to strike against their captors.

The numbness that had kept her powers at bay by the unknown drug this family administered wore off. How or why, Kory couldn't say. Hell, she didn't even know _what_ she was. She was sure this family didn't either and couldn't correctly gage how soon the power suppressant would wear off. Kory could ask these questions later, all that mattered was keeping up the appearance that she was still bound and powerless until she could fight back. Then, they could finally free Dick.

It seemed as if Rachel and Gar did not share the same good fortune as Kory, as they still tugged their reddened wrists against their binds. No matter, she would free them the first chance she got.

Throughout the rain of punches thundering down on Dick and his stoic expression through it all, Kory informed the two younger members of the team her plan and to stay silent about it. Her eyes flicked to Dick as a splatter of blood landed next to her boot. Kory winced, but stayed focus.

The beginnings of a groan was letting itself loose from Dick's previously silent lips. His body was too weak to handle as much abuse as it had endured in these last several days. Actually, Kory couldn't say for sure if it had been days or not. Trapped in this dark warehouse, who knew what day it was or how much time had passed?

As Kory kept her eyes trained on the floor, she lightly draped the singed piece of rope back over her wrists to keep up appearances. A louder moan escaped Dick's lips as one of the family's many hits collided with a cracked rib. Kory fought to contain her anger and the heat begging to be released from her wrists. Her eyes glowed green as she struggled for control.

A comforting tap from Gar's sneaker caused Kory to glance in his direction. His eyes were bright and soft. Alive with anger, yet silently pleading with Kory to gain control over her fury. She nodded as her irises returned to their normal color. There would be time yet to enact her revenge.

The beating seemed to be reaching an end, but Dick was hardly conscious to recognize it. His small yelps of pain throughout caused each of the remaining team members to cringe. Hell, if Dick was struggling to fight the pain this family was causing him, it must have been brutal. His head lolled towards his uninjured shoulder; however, the incessant hits shifted the knife causing more blood to seep from the ugly wound.

"Dear, I'm sure he has learned his lesson," " Mother said in an easy tone, turning to Dick, "Haven't you, young man?"

Dick was silent, his breathing shallow and labored as sweat and blood dripped from his bruised face. He didn't answer in the slightest, forming a knot in Kory's stomach.

"Why are you still doing this?" Rachel asked desperately, choking back tears as she took in Dick's injured state, "What has he done to you?"

Brother sneered in her direction, "Nothing, at all! Just passing the time till your father, Rachel Roth, finally arrives."

"Yes," Sister followed in Brother's suit, "Which shouldn't be too long now. Tick-tock, tick-tock."

They all laughed as if sharing a chuckle over afternoon tea and not as if it involved their impending doom; the knot in Kory's stomach churned. No, they had to escape before Rachel's father arrived. She didn't know for certain what would happen when he did, but she imagined it was nothing good. To top it off, their window of opportunity was closing.

She had to act soon. Gar looked at her expectantly. She gathered he meant that, whenever she chose to act, they would be ready. They would follow her lead undoubtedly.

A glimmer of emotion pressed against her chest, hitching her breathing. Thought they all hadn't known each other for long, they had grown close. I guess near-death experiences and a family of assassins hunting you had that effect. Kory steeled herself once more, now was not the time to grow soft.

Squinting her eyes, she leaned back against the pole behind her. Now was not the time, but she would be ready when it was.

…

A world of pain. That was the world encompassing Dick throughout his time held captive and tortured by the Nuclear Family. He was struggling to keep his emotions and injuries in check as the advances made by the assassins became gradually more severe and frequent. During his last beating, Dick released a few more groans of pain than he would have liked, but as the time wore on, his grip on his composure was slipping. He didn't think it would take much longer for his current injuries to start taking a more severe and serious toll. Of course, the blade in his shoulder was a primary source of the pain he was experiencing. It was grimy on the edges, and it had been stuck in its place for what seemed like an eternity.

Dick felt guilty his friends had front row seats to all this, especially Gar and Rachel. He hated exposing them to such violence, even when it was out of his control. His heart went out to Rachel, who was being sought out by her father. For what, they had no idea. No doubt she would be blaming herself for all this.

Kory had been sitting silently and straight as a rod the last several hours. Dick was out of it, but she usually yelled some jab or taunt every once in a while. Not lately though, but Dick couldn't say why. In fact, they all were quiet, even the family. He didn't like that. Not at all.

…

As the thought of the silence over the warehouse crossed Dick's mind, Kory noticed it at as well. She didn't dare move though in fear one of the family members would discover the burned binds and ruin their hope for escape. Gar shot her an inquisitive look as she took a deep breath. She met his eyes and, ever so slightly, nodded. It was time.

"Follow my lead," she whispered, only audible enough for Rachel and Gar to hear, "Both of you, help Dick."

They nodded in understanding, a new light in their eyes. They weren't scared anymore; in fact, quite the opposite. All of them were ready to get the hell out of here and make this family pay for their crimes.

Like a shadow, Kory darted up from her spot on the floor and stooped over to burn away the ropes at Gar and Rachel's wrists. She then stood with her hands in the air, setting them ablaze and aimed her white hot flames towards the ceiling, eyes glowing green. At once, the previously dark factory was illuminated to reveal a metal door towards the back of the warehouse and the family of assassins spilling from it as they heard the commotion.

 _Perfect_ , Kory smiled, maliciously; her eyes glowed a fiery neon green.

Gar and Rachel didn't hesitate as they ran towards Dick, whose pallor was emphasized once Kory lit up the warehouse.

The family pounced onto Kory, yet they were no match for her powers, fueled by her anger and vendetta. Rachel could see the tiny breach in the family's facade; all held furious and shocked expressions. They clearly were not expecting their prisoners' to regain their powers and hatch an escape plan.

Caught off guard, they were sloppy; quite opposite from their usually perfect demeanors. Mother spared a glance up to see Rachel and Gar toying with the binds around Dick's hands and feet. She signaled to Son and Daughter, "After them!"

Rachel saw this and shouted towards Gar in urgency, "Hurry! They're coming!"

Dick groaned as she undid the ropes at his ankles, aggravating a few of his injuries. She was not looking forward to cutting the binds at his wrists, that was going to cause a flurry of pain to Dick's shoulder.

Gar roared as the two child assassins approached, "Rachel, finish cutting him loose! I'll take care of these two!"

Just as he turned around, Rachel caught sight of his eyes. They had turned into golden slits. _Yes! Gar is getting his powers back too, it's wearing off!_ Rachel thought excitedly, _We may just make it out yet!_

She tried channeling her own powers, the darkness she always worked so hard to conceal. Nothing. It felt like her powers were buried under a pound of bricks. Rachel didn't have too much time to dwell on the fact as Dick moaned in his haze of pain beside her. His feet were free and Rachel turned her attention to the ropes at his wrists.

She was able to now get a more up close look at his shoulder injury and was horrified at the result. The area looked red and inflamed, gunk oozing out of the wound. Rachel had nearly no knowledge of medicine, but she didn't have to be an expert to know Dick's wound was bad, if not infected.

"I got you, Dick, don't worry!" she reassured him as she freed one of his hands. His weight slumped forward and she caught him just in time. Dick cried out, something she had never heard, as the near fall tugged at his shoulder.

"I'm so sorry! We're almost done!" Rachel yelled to him in the chaos.

She glanced towards Gar and Kory. Only Gar's hands had transformed into big, furry paws as he battled off the younger pair of killers. Kory seemed to be holding her own too, but Father was starting to divert his attention in Rachel and Dick's direction as he realized what Rachel was doing.

Rachel worked faster, yet only caused Dick more pain with her speed and roughness. He moaned lightly, completely out of it at this point. Before she let go of the rope, she whispered to Dick in hopes he would hear her, "I'm so sorry, Dick, but this is going to hurt."

Rachel released the rope and quickly moved to catch him as he fell, unable to support his own weight. His face screwed up in pain at the movement and a sharp shout escaped his lips as she caught him. Rachel was completely supporting Dick's body weight, the jostling of their escape causing him to go in and out of consciousness. Gar had removed the knife, thankfully, before he left to fight; Rachel picked it up on her way towards the metal door with Dick. The weapon could be useful to her if the family tried to pursue the pair, especially without her powers.

She made swiftly for the only exit in sight, yelling towards her friends on the way.

Gar and Kory put all their efforts into fending off their attackers as Rachel and Dick made their exit. A cry of pain from Gar stopped Rachel in her tracks, but she knew she had to continue. Dick's head lolled on her shoulder as she dragged him slowly to the door.

"You don't look this heavy in person!" she shouted at him in exertion. Finally, they had reached the metal door, the two ducking inside.

Kory saw this and shouted to Gar, "Follow them! You have two minutes to clear the building!"

Gar knew what she meant as fire danced up her arms and covered her torso. He slashed at Son and kicked Daughter to the floor, giving Gar his opportunity to bolt to the door. He didn't stop to see if his attackers were after him, but the entire family now focused their attention on taking down Kory, who was surrounded by orange flames.

Gar caught up with Rachel, using his cat eyes to see in the darkness. He helped her with Dick and made haste to the door, all the while counting down the two minutes in his head. Rachel didn't ask any questions as she helped support Dick and followed Gar towards freedom.

…

Kory could only hope the trio escaped and cleared a safe distance as her flames were fleeing from her control. She was ready to make this family pay for their actions against her and her friends with fire. With one, giant shout of effort, she released her powers and strength into fiery flames that encompassed the entire building, the warehouse exploding in the heat.

…..


	6. Chapter 6

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own Titans or any related material. Next chapter! But this is only the beginning for Dick...stay tuned! Thank you so much for the reviews too!**

…..

"Get behind the car!" Gar's shout was barely audible as the warehouse behind them rumbled loudly, fire encompassing it. Rachel and Gar flung themselves and Dick behind a rusty old pickup truck moments before debris spewed in all directions, fire licking the edges of the vehicle from Kory's inferno. Rachel was grateful the explosion behind them masked Dick's yell in pain as he collided with the floor.

She glanced at the injured leader of their ragtag group. If possible, he looked worse than inside the warehouse, as if their exit had taken a heavy toll on his body. Dick's breaths were uneven and the towel covering his nasty shoulder wound was recoated in red. His pallor pierced the night air.

Rachel breathed in relief. They were out, they were free. No more torture or sitting tied up. Although her powers hadn't returned, she felt a glimmer of hope reveal itself. Gar and Rachel waited for Kory in the fiery mess that lay behind them. No fire engines or sirens could be heard, they must be really off the grid. Gar managed to revert his paws back to human hands after a few tries, the last remnants of the power suppressants having yet to wear off.

Kory finally emerged looking as if she didn't burn up an entire warehouse and fight off a family of killers. She actually looked quite pleased with herself.

"Kory!" Rachel ran up and hugged her friend, "Thank you, that was amazing!"

Gar stood up and smiled, but slightly winced in the process. None of them missed it.

"You okay there, cat eyes?" Kory teased, but true concern shone in her eyes.

"Yeah, just a light scratch," Gar reassured them as he lifted his shirt to reveal a long but shallow cut at his side.

"Here, let me wrap that up for you," Rachel offered, tearing a piece of her tattered jacket to bind the wound, "Then we can clean it later."

A raggedy cough from the floor brought the trio back to their senses, all turning their attention to Dick. Rachel went to cradle his head as Gar laid him flat more comfortably. Kory frowned, finally getting a clear view at the extent of Dick's injuries and physical state.

"He's warm," Rachel whispered grimly, her hand on Dick's brow.

His face revealed the slightest tendrils of pain in his tight expression; even in his unconscious state he was still trying to keep composure.

"Then this is the last place for him," Kory concluded, "Get him up and let me see if this pickup still has a spark left in it."

Kory's finger came ablaze as she lifted the hood.

….

A rusty motel in the middle of nowhere became their shelter for the night, 45 miles away from the warehouse they were being kept in. The drive over was tense as any bump or hitch in the road reverberated deeply into Dick's injuries. Kory and Gar took the driver and passengers seats leaving Rachel to hold Dick tightly as he lay across the back. The motel owner was quite puzzled when Kory asked what state they were in, but curtly responded "Iowa" as it was nearing midnight.

They got two neighboring rooms near the exits and with plenty of windows for a visual. They weren't going to take any chances. Gar received the short end of the stick and had the _pleasure_ of carrying Dick fireman style up the stairs, laying him on the bed with little trouble. As the drug wore off, his powers were returning with greater strength and the cut to his side was nothing more than a distant scratch. Rachel herself finally felt the darkness returning, and she was shocked to find out that she missed it. She felt vulnerable without her powers, no matter how evil they could be.

Dick murmured incoherently when on the bed, but didn't make much noise after. Kory was beat after a long day, her excessive use of her powers draining her. Yet, she summoned her strength for a bit more as there was one more thing to do before they could call it a night. Rachel and Gar seemed to understand as well, all huddling close to Dick's bed.

Kory called the front desk for a sample of their strongest alcohol and the motel owner swiftly brought up a bottle of vodka.

"Sit him up and lift his shirt," Kory motioned to Dick as Gar and Rachel complied.

"What's the bottle for?" Gar asked innocently.

"For this," Kory then took a large swig straight from the bottle, Rachel smiled.

When Kory finished, she glanced guiltily over at Dick's limp form, "And what we're about to do next."

…

"Okay, you both have to hold him down no matter what," Kory instructed the younger pair of the team, "He's going to kick and try to get away, but it's for his own good."

Both Gar and Rachel nodded as Kory stood with the bottle in her hand. Rachel held Dick's arms down tightly as Gar pinned his torso to the bed.

Kory slowly pulled away the red-stained towel that had covered the shoulder wound. It revealed itself to be worse off than Rachel thought in the warehouse. The wound was rimmed red and oozing puss; Dick shifted in his unconscious state, wincing as the towel was removed and the wound was exposed.

"Holy crap," was all Gar could say as he caught sight of the ugly injury.

Kory pursed her lips. Rachel voiced her original thought, "I think it's infected, or maybe there was something on the knife. Whatever it is, it doesn't look right."

After a long pause, Kory nodded and said, "Well it's now or never, right? Let's get this over with."

Her tone wasn't encouraging. Slowly she trickled a bit of the alcohol onto the wound to clean it, Dick's reaction was instantaneous. The second the contents of the bottle made contact with the nasty injury, he curled in on himself and started thrashing around.

"Hold him!" Kory shouted, moving swiftly now. She dumped more vodka.

Rachel and Gar strengthened their hold, but, even in his injured state, they were no match for Dick's years of training as Robin.

He roared in pain and Rachel knew she would never get that sound out of her head. He kept kicking and trying to break free as Kory now took a towel, soaked it in alcohol and cleaned the wound manually. It was much deeper than she thought, and she had to clean every last bit of grime or rust that had been left behind by the knife.

Dick was formidable, however, and Gar's eyes turned to cat-like slits as he channeled the strength of the tiger to hold down his injured companion. Half a minute felt like an eternity, but that was all it took for Dick to finally succumb to the pain and submerge into blackness.

He sagged back on to the bed, limp.

"He's out," Rachel confirmed in a silent voice.

…

An hour later, the mood was much different. Dick still lay in a fitful, but deep sleep on the bed, his wound rewrapped in a fresh bandage. He was sweating, however, as his body fought the effects of the aggressive injury, all of them hoping they intervened in time so an infection wouldn't set in.

The remaining Titans sat on the shag carpet floor in silence, none wanting to think about the events of the last week. 7 days, that's how long they were all kept captive. The only sound was the static emanating from the decades old television set and Dick's ragged breathing.

Inwardly, Kory knew that Dick wasn't going to walk this wound off anytime soon. The stab wound was surely to be infected judging from the funky colored grime she had to clean out of it. Dick was also showing the beginning signs of a fever, yet they were keeping a watchful eye on it. At least she hoped so. What could they all truly do to help when they were on the run, being hunted and couldn't go to the authorities? Not a very ideal situation. The nearest hospital was 20 miles south and Kory was sure that's where the assassins would check first.

The time ticked by and not a word was spoken. A wayward cough from Dick every once in a while was the only source of noise. Kory glanced at the clock radio and then at Gar and Rachel, the pair looked exhausted. She herself was exhausted.

A twinge of guilt fluttered in her stomach; they were just kids. The younger pair should be worried about prom night and having fun, not checking for exits and gambling for survival. She suppressed her feelings. They were strong, all of them had to be. If they grew soft, they were dead.

"Alright, you two. You're both sleeping in your seats. Bed. Now." Kory slightly resembled a strict mom directing her children, hands on her hips and flaunting a stern expression.

"We're fine, honest…" Gar's response was cut off by an oncoming yawn.

"Yeah, sure you are," Kory said sarcastically, rolling her eyes, "Go on, I'll take first watch."

Gar rubbed his eyes but said no more as he opened the connecting door to the adjacent room. The minute his head hit the pillow, he was out.

Rachel was more awake and glanced at Dick before she retired for the night. His cheeks were rosy and sweat still dripped slowly down his face, but he was sleeping somewhat peacefully it appeared.

"I hope he feels better in the morning," Rachel remarked, staring down at the ground.

"He will, and you will too." Kory smiled.

"Wake me up for the next watch please? Gar needs to heal from his scratch and you need to rest too after today," Rachel pointed out.

Kory was about to protest when Rachel persisted, "No, I mean it! We all need to be at our strongest with these maniacs after us. That includes you too, Kory. No 'but's,' okay?"

Kory smirked, "Okay."

Rachel smiled in approval and headed next door.


	7. Chapter 7

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own Titans or any related material. Sorry for the hiatus! Here's the next chapter, enjoy! And SO SORRY about posting the wrong chapter last time! Thank you, dedicated readers, for letting me know! If you liked what you read though, you can find my Pride and Prejudice fic on my page! (A little self promotion hehe!) Anyways...back to Titans!**

…

Kory did as she promised and, although hesitating, woke Rachel up to take over the watch for a few hours. It was very late, nearing 3 A.M. Normally Kory could continue on just fine, but she was utterly exhausted. She had expended her powers greatly at the warehouse and, although it may have heavily slowed down their sadistic, inhuman pursuers, she knew the family would not stay silent for long. Kory needed some semblance of sleep before the new day begun.

Rachel woke up without protest and glanced at Gar who slept with his limbs sprawled in all directions on the adjacent twin bed. She smiled, _that boy can sleep through a hurricane_.

She closed the door of the connecting room once Kory was settled in bed and stood at the entryway of the motel room that Dick was housing. He had not moved an inch since the last time Rachel was awake. It bothered her deeply. He was so _still_. Rachel was used to her friend checking the perimeter, his eyes darting at the first sign of suspicion and, frankly, his overall dedication to protect their group.

It was unnatural that he lay now, his arms limp and body bandaged, completely motionless. The occasional deep breath or slight hitch in his breathing was the only indication that he was living and breathing.

A tug of guilt pulled at her insides and Rachel could not fight the urge to look in the mirror on the wall only to be met with the macabre image of herself. Her dark alter ego grinned evilly back at her and a maniacal voice sliced her thoughts screeching "It's all your fault!"

Rachel quickly turned away from her dark reflection, trying to hold back tears. Her powers had returned, yes, but so had all the darkness lurking within her.

A shuffle from Dick's direction pulled Rachel from her trance and she quickly made towards the bed. Dick was shifting restlessly and sweat beaded his brow, he looked a bit too pale in the night.

"Oh no," Rachel whispered to herself, placing the back of her palm on Dick's forehead as her mom had done for her so many times. A stab in her gut as she thought about Melissa Roth, her adoptive mother, almost made Rachel cry out but she steeled herself.

Dick was burning up and he moaned in misery under her touch. He was radiating heat and his hands moved towards his bandages in a restless manner. Rachel bit her lip in nervousness, she had to get his temperature down before it escalated even more.

She searched through the limited medical supplies the motel offered and settled on dampening a towel to dab at Dick's brow in an effort to cool him down. As she did this, he seemed to calm a bit, but could still see he struggled in his unconscious state.

An hour into her vigil, Rachel found herself nodding off so she decided to keep herself busy by redressing Dick's bandages. She breathed before starting the daunting task, knowing this wasn't going to be fun for Dick or her, but was necessary.

"I'm so sorry, Dick," she apologized for the umpteenth time today it felt like, "but I'm only doing this because it's going to make you better."

He didn't register her words, but she went ahead anyways. As she removed the shirt and outer layers of the bandages, Dick shrinked away from her unconsciously and out of self-defense.

 _This isn't going to be easy_ , Rachel thought to herself, but continued.

Dick's breath would hitch as he tried to contain his pain whenever Rachel would pull away the gauze too quickly, lengthening the process marginally. Finally, after forty minutes, the ugly wound was exposed. Up close, it looked just as bad, if not worse. It was hot and puffy, and the cold air piercing Dick's sensitive shoulder caused him to whimper very slightly.

Using the damp towel, Rachel gently prodded the wound to clean it. It was a slow and agonizing process for the both of them, but mainly for Dick who, even in his stupor, tried so hard to compose himself.

He was panting by the end of it and Rachel herself was sweating too from her pent up nerves and concentration.

Rachel redressed the wound with new bandages and it seemed, though it could have been Rachel's exhaustion causing her to hallucinate, he seemed to rest a bit easier.

….

A croaky groan rattled the still night air, causing Rachel to wake up startled. She hadn't even realized she had shut her eyes and found herself with seated in the chair sleeping, her head next to Dick's arm. Her fingers were wrapped around his wrist, more of a reassurance for herself than for him.

Except, much to Rachel's surprise, Dick's fingers were twitching, reaching for her own. She leaned forward in shock and relief, meeting his slightly cracked eyelids. Dick's eyes were hazy and dazed, but he was awake!

"Dick!" Rachel couldn't help but keep the excitement from her voice as she leaned over the bed and hugged him.

He groaned in response to her tight embrace as it aggravated his wounds and she pulled away guiltily, "Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry!"

He chuckled tiredly before responding slowly in a raspy voice, "It's okay."

She reached over and held a glass of water to Dick's lips which he sipped gratefully, his fiery throat slowly easing up.

Rachel couldn't stop the waterfall of words escaping her lips, "How are you feeling? What hurts? Can I get you anything? Should I wake Kory up? Gar? Let me get more towels-"

She would have continued till the sun slowly rose if he didn't put a hand on her forearm, stopping her game of twenty questions.

"Rachel...all...good," he whispered hoarsely, exhaustion creeping up on him once more.

His heavy eyelids were closing and Rachel could see Dick was losing the battle against his consciousness. Yet, she had to say one more thing before he slipped into his slumber once more.

"Dick," she addressed him quietly, her voice full of emotion, "I am so sorry, this is all my fault. If it wasn't for my dad and you first helping me, none of this would have happened to you."

She looked to the floor in shame before continuing, "I'm the reason they did this to you."

"Hey," he croaked back, his fingers pushing her chin up so they made eye contact, "It's...not your...fault. Even if...it was...I'd do it...all again...in a...heart...beat."

His hand fell back on the bed as darkness and exhaustion pulled Dick under their embrace once more.

...

 **Please review and let me know what you think!**


	8. Chapter 8

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own Titans or any related material. Hello readers! Enjoy this next update and thank you so much for the reviews! Keep it up!**

It was a hazy inferno. The world was too hot. Burning, more like it. Dick immediately could sense something was wrong. He felt sick, unwell. His mind seemed as if it was tied to a balloon floating miles above his body. After a few moments, Dick tried cracking open his heavy eyelids only to quickly squeeze them shut as bright light penetrated his vision. He groaned in response and the effort finally brought upon a new sensation: pain.

His shoulder, the source of the blaze his body was enduring currently, was gradually growing more intense. Where was he? What happened? His mind was foggy and his memory moreso.

Then, the unpleasant events of the last few days hit him like a freight train. The warehouse. Tied up. The knife to the shoulder. The unbearable pain in his shoulder. A craggly motel. The family of inhuman assassins.

He groaned louder as he shifted under the covers, trying to escape reality. The room was so hot and stuffy, it was difficult for Dick to breathe, his breaths instinctively coming out in deep, quick gasps.

Muffled voices sounded in the background, but he couldn't focus on the source. The world was too bright and his vision a blur. Dick was restless and trying to throw the blankets off him as the world seemed to steadily increase in temperature. The movement irritated his wounds, and he unintentionally cried out in response. His breathing sounded more like panting as he gasped for oxygen.

….

Kory shot up in the creaky motel bed when someone called her name in urgency, waking her from her sleep. She was already on the move when she saw Rachel at the threshold of the connecting rooms, looking more worried than Kory had ever seen her. Rachel was a tough cookie for her age, whatever was causing her to be this distressed was clearly serious.

"Kory! It's Dick!" Kory quickly followed the frantic Rachel into the room Dick was in.

Rachel's words triggered a knot of worry to drop itself in Kory's gut. As the pair made their way, Kory saw a string of wet towels lining the floor of the bathroom. Kory bit her lip in fear, but kept her emotions reigned in.

Rachel was having a bit of a harder time doing so.

"He was fine earlier in the night…" Rachel stammered, her thoughts jumbled, "then all of a sudden he got worse. Out of nowhere!"

As they approached the bed in the dim room, Kory made out Gar seated next to the bed, his back facing them. He turned around as he heard the pair approaching, and Kory could see the fear shining in his eyes as well.

Kory's anticipation was killing her, she had yet to see Dick as Gar's position blocked Dick from her view. She saw a damp towel in Gar's hand and many more littering the floor next to him.

Kory finally turned her eyes on to Dick. She couldn't help but hold back a gasp in shock.

Dick was pale. Not a simple pallor either, but ashen. He was drenched in sweat, the sheets below him damp from it. Dick's eyes were closed, but he was constantly moving and shifting under the rumpled covers heaped by his feet. He clearly wasn't resting, the semi-concealed pain in his expression giving it away. He moaned every few moments and would take sharp intakes of breath whenever the pain of his wounds would become a bit unbearable. Hell, not a bit unbearable. Very unbearable.

His sickly appearance only emphasized the oozing, ugly wound in his shoulder. Even under the mountain of bandages, the shoulder wound was bright red and puffy, staining the dressings and Dick's clothes.

 _Infection_ , Kory gravely came to the mental conclusion. The bacteria had days to incubate because of the damn knife the sick family let sit in Dick's shoulder.

Gar brought the damp towel to Dick's brow as he tensed in pain once more, balling the sweaty sheets in a death grip.

Kory looked to the floor and Rachel whimpered next to her.

"What do we do?" Gar asked desperately, looking to Kory.

"We have to keep his temperature down," Kory addressed the room, walking to Dick and putting the back of her hand on his forehead.

She didn't like the waves of heat radiating off Dick under her touch.

"Rachel take over for Gar and Gar get more towels," Kory ordered, Gar nodding briskly and left the room to the front desk.

Rachel seated herself by Dick's bedside and dabbed at the sweat on his face. Kory moved next to her, looking at the soiled bandages on Dick's shoulder wound. They had to be changed and she was going to be the one to do it.

Lifting up the corners of the gauze, Dick winced. _Damn it, this is going to be difficult._

Even half-delusional in his feverish state, Dick tried to stifle his cries of pain as Kory worked briskly. It was a tough task, but one that Kory worked swiftly to finish while ignoring Dick's low moans of pain.

Gar had returned with a stack of fresh towels and wetted a few more. At the moment, things were stable given the circumstances. Dick's temperature stayed the same, he didn't seem to fret as much now that his bandages were redressed and the rest of the Titans could relax a bit.

Or so they thought...

...

 **Cliffhangers!**


	9. Chapter 9

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own Titans or any related content. SO SORRY for the delay! School is back in session and its extremely hard to find the time to write/update, but I am determined to finish this story no matter how long it takes! Special shoutout to all those amazing readers who have stuck with me since chapter 1! This chapter is dedicated to you guys! Thank you for the reviews as well :) please keep it up!**

 _Dick was strapped to a chair, identical to the one he was bound to during his unconsented stay at Arkham Asylum. White coats surrounded him, but all of their faces were shadowed. He tugged at the binds confining his wrists till they were raw._

" _Who are you?!" he shouted at the circle of blurred faces, "What have you done with my friends?!"_

 _His commands were met with a deafening and eerie silence as Dick continued his desperate plea for answers._

…

"He's hallucinating!" Rachel shouted as she tried to restrain Dick's flailing hands, "Help!"

Gar was by her side in an instant, helping pin Dick's arms to the bed. Dick was wide awake, but the hazy look in his eyes indicated he wasn't conscious or apparent of his surroundings. He was trapped in a fever-induced delusion and, by the looks of it, one that wasn't all sunshine and rainbows.

"Where are they?!" Dick yelled towards an unknown enemy, "What have you done with them?!"

"Done with who?" Gar looked at Rachel as the pair struggled to calm Dick down, holding him as not to aggravate his already tender wounds.

"He's delusional, his temperature is too high!" Rachel's expression radiated fear. Kory rushed in, on her way back from the liquor store nearby getting supplies, when her keen senses picked up on the struggle in their motel room.

"What happened?" she demanded, swiftly coming up besides Gar and Rachel.

"Answer me!" Dick yelled into space once more, kicking out now with his feet as well. Gar dove towards the edge of the bed to hold Dick's legs down while Rachel remained in charge of Dick's upper body. Although delusional with fever and covered in nasty wounds, Dick's strength and training were no match for the younger Titans, Dick easily breaking away from their grasp.

Kory took over, shouting at Rachel, "Go run a cold bath, now!"

Rachel raced to the bathroom, turning on the faucet and started filling the tub with cold water. The minutes it took for the bath to fill stretched like an eternity as the three Titans worked tirelessly to calm and seduce their injured friend.

Dick alternated yelling between the occasional "What have you done with my friends?!" and "Let me go! Tell me who you are!" All in all, it was concluded that whatever and wherever he was dreaming about was clearly not the happiest. Dick lowered himself back onto the bed with a low moan of pain, his eyelids sliding half shut. His expression was a mask of pain as Dick's sudden movements did little to help his existing wounds.

"It's ready!" Rachel's voice sounded from the bathroom.

Kory didn't hesitate, ordering Gar to grab Dick's legs as she supported his upper body and the pair carried him swiftly to the bathroom. Under the pale light of the cheap motel bathroom, Dick looked worse than ever. His deathly white pallor emphasized the lines of pain in his expression and dark, shadowed circles under his eyes. He was dripping sweat, his body fighting hard against the ensuing infection.

Dick didn't put up much of a fight as the trio submerged him, fully clothed, into the cold bath water. This only worried Kory, Gar and Rachel more; Dick was too weak to fight back.

The icy water shocked Dick to the core, his eyes shooting open and his body shivering, as his Kory helped him keep his head afloat. Rachel bit her lip as they waited anxiously to see any sign of the ice water helping improve Dick's fever. In the course of a few minutes, Dick's shivering intensified and his lips began to tint blue. Yet, he had snapped out of his delirium..

Dick's words were hard to understand through his shivers, but the rest of the Titans were glad to hear his hoarse voice at last, "C-cold…" he stammered.

"We had to, Dick" Rachel whimpered, "You were delirious."

Dick looked at Rachel, Gar and Kory in turn with a confused expression. Although the water woke him up, his strength was quickly waning, eyes slowly giving in to blackness once more. Dick fought to stay awake.

"Let's get him out of there," Kory told Gar and Rachel, Gar lifting Dick out of the freezing water as Dick wrapped him in towels.

Dick was completely reliant on Gar to keep him upright as the world swayed before his vision and his legs were jelly beneath him. He was _so cold_. His teeth chattering was clearly heard throughout the room.

Rachel wrapped many towels around his shoulders and soaked clothes, but he was quickly fading, giving in to his exhaustion.

The last thing he remembered was a gnawing cold, eating at his bones.

...

 **Leave me a review!**


	10. Chapter 10

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own Titans or any related material. And here it is, the last chapter! Thank you for all the support, loyal readers! Enjoy and please review!**

…

A peaceful, serene white. That was the bliss world that Dick had come to know. He was deeply unconscious, which was a good thing. His body needed time to heal. To reset.

Finally, however, he was emerging slowly from the depths of the whiteness; Dick could tell a long time had passed since he was last conscious. He couldn't tell how long exactly, however. Days? Weeks?

Voices were slurred in the background and, thus far, only snippets of conversation had broke through to the white that Dick was enjoying.

" _Temperature is high….not as high as before...keep an eye on it…"_

" _Hasn't woken...what do we do?"_

" _Infection still...nasty wound...clean it and fresh...to bind it"_

" _Come on, Dick….come back to us."_

The last sentence had tugged at his heart, Dick steeling himself for the cold and pain of reality he had so blissfully escaped in the white expanse he was residing in. But his friends needed him. The world needed him. The nuclear family was still on the loose and by the heavens Dick was not going to let them lay a finger on another soul ever again.

With a great deal of effort, Dick's impossibly heavy eyelids slowly cracked open, the world swimming into his vision.

….

"He's waking up!" Gar's excited voice brought Rachel and Kory running into the room where Dick had been recuperating.

Rachel's heart was in her throat; she was anxious about Dick's condition. The cold bath was remarkable in bringing Dick's temperature down when his fever reached dangerous heights, but his body was so weak from the torment it had endured. The shock and cold from the bath left Dick running on empty; he passed out and had not woken since, drifting in unconsciousness. That was five days ago. Throughout that time, the rest of the team had vigilantly checked his temperature, vitals and wounds, which were finally normalizing and healing at long last.

Kory was biting her nails next to her, the only indication that Rachel wasn't the only one who was nervous for what was to come. Days of torture from the nuclear family, fighting infection, a nasty stab wound...maybe it was all too much for Dick to handle this time? Maybe he wouldn't come back unscathed like he always eventually did? They weren't able to know and the questions gnawed at them all...now they would.

"Come on, Dick, come back to us," Rachel whispered to him in encouragement, hoping he would hear her.

Dick's eyelids continued to flicker. Gar was tense next to her, waiting for any unexpected reactions from Dick should there be any. But there wasn't any as Dick groggily opened his eyes halfway, the world before him slowly focusing.

Three worried faces peered down at him, who he soon recognized to be Rachel, Kory and Gar.

"Dick," Kory said to him in an emotionless voice, "Say something."

Slowly, his mind responded and he spoke in a hoarse voice, "Guys?"

All three of his teammates visibly relaxed and sighed in relief, letting out the breath they were all holding.

"Dick! You're back!" Rachel ran and hugged Dick tight, he flinched in response, "Oh my goodness, I'm so sorry! I didn't realize!

Rachel immediately pulled away as her tight bear hug aggravated Dick's many injuries, but he chuckled tiredly in response as the pain subsided.

"It's okay," he said in a low whisper, his voice rough from no use, "What happened?"

"Well it was touch-and-go for a bit," Kory said in a curt voice, not fond of reminiscing on the past few days when they had nearly lost Dick, "after your fever spiked from the infection, we put you in a cold bath to lower your temperature. The shock of it all must have been too much for you, given your already serious injuries. You've been unconscious ever since."

Dick's tone was serious now, "Since when?" _How long had he been out?_

Gar responded in a grave voice, "2 years."

Dick nearly choked. _2 years?! That was impossible!_

Rachel swatted Gar on the arm playfully, "Gar, don't joke him like that! He's only barely awake, no need to shock him to death!"

Dick was very confused and the look on his face must have given it away because Kory, chuckling, stepped in.

"Not 2 years," Kory gave a pointed look at Gar who was laughing next to her, "More like two days."

Dick sighed and closed his eyes in relief, relaxing against the pillows.

"You should have seen your face, dude!" Gar continued laughing at his joke.

Rachel giggled, but tried coughing it off as Dick narrowed his eyes at her playfully.

"But really," Dick became serious now, "What happened? Any news on that sadistic family?"

The laughter and chatter ceased when the Nuclear Family was mentioned, Kory reporting, "No sign of them since the warehouse. Guess my little fire show either scared them off or left them for both. Either way is fine with me."

Dick nodded, pulling the covers off from his feet and leaning forward with a wince.

Rachel rushed forward, forcing Dick back down, "And what do you think you're doing, mister?"

"Chances are the family is still out there. They must be stopped-" Dick's protests were cut off by a wave of pain from his shoulder once he put weight on it.

He glanced up to see Gar, Kory and Rachel looking down at him with hands on their hips, determined to keep him in bed till he finished recovering.

"What" Dick said through clenched teeth and heavy breaths, trying to mask the pain, "I'm fine."

"Mmhmm, sure" none of them buying Dick's excuse, "Back in bed, Grayson."

"What?! I can't believe this-" he tried getting up once more, but Gar stepped in front of his way.

Dick huffed in frustration as he gave in to his friend's wishes, silently grateful for their stubbornness when his injuries protested.

Rachel smiled at their victory, "How far did you think you were going to make it with a stab wound to the shoulder, infection, concussion, three broken ribs, a fractured orbital bone and cuts and bruises covering every other inch of you?"

Gar followed, looking solemn "We almost lost you after the infection and cold bath."

Dick was silent. He knew it was bad...but he felt horrible his friends had to deal with his injuries for the last few days.

"I'm so sorry, guys. I had no idea I had to put you through all of that, thanks for everything," Dick looked at his bandaged hands, ashamed at his weakness.

"Hey," Kory said in a stern voice, causing Dick to look up.

Her expression was serious, but finally a smile played at her lips, "What are friends for?"

Dick relaxed and Gar, smiling, asked, "So we're all friends, huh? Kinda like a team?"

Dick grinned, happy to be surrounded by his friends.

 **...**

 **THE END**


End file.
